It is known to those in the art that during the manufacture of lead frames the individual circuits are often pre-fabricated and connected to other circuits by bridges. It is also known in the art that these bridges can be broken, or punched, in order to prevent the flow of electrical current between the two circuits the bridge connected. The present invention discloses a method for creating a sealed bridge break between two circuits by using a bridge breaking tool. The bridge breaking tool punches a bridge forming the bridge break and then molten polymer flows around the bridge break and insulating the ends of the bridge break.
One problem with bridge breaks in the prior art is that they are susceptible to contaminate particles, which can rebridge the two circuits that were connected by the original bridge, and cause an unwanted electrical current to flow between the circuits. This type of unwanted occurrence can cause a short circuit and damage to the lead frame. Therefore, it is desirable to have a method of breaking the bridges and sealing the broken ends of the bridge breaks when the lead frame is overmolded onto a backing. Sealing the broken ends of the bridge breaks prevents silting and contaminants from rebridging the circuit and causing a short circuit that will damage the lead frame and other circuitry.